System for cooling engine liquids



Jully E5, 1952 G. H. METER 3 9 SYSTEM FOR COOLING ENGINE LIQUIDS FiledMarch 4, 1950 39 a; a? 56' a? 2 .5.

i ,7 5 ,7 r (350265 E D/ETEE,

- 35 INVENTOR. 5f 4 5 M BYW m Patented July 15, 1952 SYSTEM FOR COOLINGENGINE LIQUIDS George H. Dieter, Glendale, Calif., assignor to The FluorCorporation, Ltd Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of CaliforniaApplication March 4, 1950, Serial No. 147,658

7 Claims. (01. 1234l.49)

This invention relates to air-cooled heat exchange apparatus associatedwith engine-driven compression or pumping facilities, and has for itsprimary object to provide an improved system for driving fans and pumps.A further object of this invention is to provide means whereby alow-speed engine driving a compressor, pump, or the like may also supplypower for the operation of a fan at variable speeds and for theoperation of pumps serving the engine at constant speeds.

Air-cooled heat exchange units are often installed in connection withlarge-scale compression and pumping facilities to provide means todissipate heat from the driving engine and from the fluid discharged bythe pump or compressor. Such heat exchange units are well known in theart, and may comprise, for example, a bank of tubes through which thefluid to be cooled is passed, and a fan, blower, or other mechanism toforce air across the outer surfaces of the tubes.

The equpment with which these air-cooled heat-exchange units areassociated commonly comprises a large compressor or pump driven by aninternal combustion engine. A combination machine in which the engineand compressor are built in the same frame has found wide applicationfor compression service. These very large engines and engine-compressorsare characteristically low-speed machines, their main shafts ordinarilyrotating at speeds not in excess of a few hundred revolutions perminute.

The fan member of the air-cooled heat exchange unit usually operatesbest at relatively high speeds. Moreover, since it is frequentlydesirable to change the rate of delivery of air to the heat exchangesurfaces during the operation of the unit, in order to compensate forchanges in air temperature, humidity, and the heat load imposed on theexchanger, variable speed drives are usually provided to operate thefans. One method in common use consists of driving the fan by means of avariable-speed electric motor, which in turn often necessitates theinstallation of an engine-generator unit. This system is fre quentlyobjectionable due to the very high equip ment costs involved.

According to my invention, I utilize power provided by the engineoperating a compressor, pump, or the like, for the purpose of drivingthe aforementioned fan, and provide means whereby the fan may beoperated at various speeds even though the speed of the engine remainsconstant.

The conditions necessitating changes in the fan speed do not appreciablychange the quantity of heat to be dissipated from the engine. For-thisreason, it is desirable to maintain a uniform flow of cooling waterthrough the engine (and through the oil cooler, when such a cooler isused), and to operate pumps for this purpose at a constant speed. Thisinvention includes means for utilizing the power of the engine to drivesuch pumps at constant speeds independently of changes in the fan speed.

I have found that using the power of the engine for operating fans andpumps results in an important reduction of cost for the entireinstallation, in comparison to systems in which a separate motive powersource is provided for operating the fan.

In practicing the invention, I connect to the constant-speed poweroutput shaft of the engine a mechanical transmission which provides apower take-off shaft operable at any of a number of different speeds. Iconnect the fan to this variable speed shaft by any suitable means, thusaffording a method of driving the fans at various speeds even though theengine operates at constant speed.

In order to drive the aforementioned pumps, I provide connecting meansthrough which the pumps are driven at a relatively high speed eitherdirectly by the constant-speed power output shaft of the engine, bymeans attached thereto, or by suitable constant-speed means provided bythe transmission. In this manner I insure that the speed of the pumps isentirely independent of the speed of the fan, and is not changed bychanging the speed of the fan.

According to an alternative form of the invention, I may provide two ormore transmissions in tandem arrangement, driving the first transmissionthrough connecting means by the engine,

the second transmission through constant-speed means provided by thefirst, and so on throughout the group of transmissions. I typicallyprovide each transmission with a variable-speed power take-off shaftwhich may be connected to a fan. In this way I may drive a number ofseparate fans, selecting and changing the speed of each withoutaffecting the speed of any of the others.

The invention contemplates the use of any type of transmission (e. g.gear, belt or fluid drive) suitable for the intended purpose. The connections between the transmission and engine and between the transmissionand fan may be made by any suitable means, for example, flexiblecouplings.

In applying this invention, furthermore, I may drive the aforementionedpumps directly from .the power output shaft of the engine, an extem sionthereof, or, preferably, by constant-speed means provided by thetransmission.

The invention further contemplates the application of the system hereindisclosed to any installation including an engine, an air-cooled heatexchanger, and a fan, in which the engine is situated in reasonableproximity to the heat exchanger and fan.

As used in this specification, the term engine" is defined to includemachines of the class comprising internal combustion engines such asgasoline engines, diesel engines, combination'enginecompressors, and thelike, ordinarily operating at low speeds. Furthermore, the word fan isused to include propeller-type fans, blowers, and other rotary equipmentused to impel a stream of air.

The above and other features and objects of the invention will be morefully understood from the following detailed description of the typicalembodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a general View illustrating one embodiment of the invention inan engine water and oil cooling system;

Fig. 2 is a plan view taken on line '2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional enlargement of the variable speed transmissionembodied in the system of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are views illustrating variational variable speedtransmission and fan drive combinations.

Referring first to the general showing of Fig. l, I have indicated at IUwhat may be regarded as an engine having water and oil circulatorysystems, and specifically a unit comprising an internal combustionengine and gas compressor powered by the engine proper, and of thegeneral type now in common use in natural gas compressor stations. Theengine water circulating system includes an outlet line H through whichwarm water is taken for cooling in the manner later described, and thecooled water return line or inlet l2. The engine oil is cooled bywithdrawal through line l3 and passage through a cooler or heatexchanger l4, beyond which the cooled oil is returned to the enginethrough line l5. Engines of this type operate at a slow constant speed,and it will be understood therefore that the power output shaft |6| ofthe engine rotates at a substantially constant speed so slow as torequire the use of a speed increase gearing,'

or the equivalent, in order that the later described fan may be poweredby the engine at fficient speed.

Cooling of the engine water or oil, or both, is effected by air-cooledheat transfer apparatus, generally indicated at It, of the general typeemploying a motor driven fan operating to displace atmospheric air athigh velocity over one or more exchanger coils. Merely as illustrative,the assembly I6 is shown to comprise a chamber I! having in its oppositewalls the air inlets I8 and containing within ring IS a fan 20 whichdisplaces air upwardly through an appropriate arrangement of cooling orexchanger coils 2|. Typically, the coil assembly 2| may comprise a watercooling tube bank 22 fed with warm water through line 23 and from whichthe cooled water is taken through line .24. A second and independenttube bank 25 receives warm oil-cooling water through line 26 anddischarges the cooled water through line 21. Other independent fluids,such as all or a portion of the gas discharged by the compresser unit;H], may be subjected to cooling 4 or condensation in the apparatus l6 bypassage from header 28 through the intermediate tube banks 29 to thedischarge header 30.

The engine shaft |6| is connected through flexible coupling 3| with theconstant speed shaft 32 in a transmission 33, see particularly Fig. 3.Shaft 32 carries a pair of fixed gears 34 and 35 which mesh respectivelywith pinion gears 36 and 31 carried by shafts 38 and 39 which, in turn,drive the pumps 40 and 4|. Shaft 32 having constant speed rotation, itfollows that pumps 40 and 4| at times are driven at constant speed.

The fan shaft 44 is driven through the transmission 33 and at variablespeeds, by way of a flexible shaft 45 journalled in bearings 46 and madeup of sections 41 interconnected by the flexible couplings 48. The fanshaft 44 is driven by shaft 45 and at relatively high speed, by way ofan appropriate speed increasing gear assembly conventionally illustratedas contained within the gear box 49. Provision is made for drivingshafts 44 and 45 at variable speeds by providing on shaft 44| within thetransmission 33 a clutch and gear assembly generally indicated at 50 ofa known type including di'lferential size gears 5| and 52 adaptedselectively to be brought into and out of meshing engagementrespectively with gears 53 and 54 fixed on the shaft 3|. As will beunderstood, Fig. 3 is an essentially diagrammatical showing intended totypify any suitable shiftable gear transmission operable to bring two ormore gears on shaft 44! selectively into driven engagement with any of acorresponding number of gears on the constant speed shaft 32, so thatthe relative speed of the fan may be selectively varied. However, whilethe fan speed thus be comes variable, the pumps 40 and 4| remain atsubstantially constant speed operation.

Pump 4| receives warm water from the oil cooler I4 through line 56 anddischarges the water through line 26 and exchanger 25, from which thecooled water is returned to the exchanger |4 through line 21. Pump 40may operate to circulate the engine water similarly and through a cycleindependent of the oil cooler I4, or it may be so connected into theengine water and oil cooler water circuits as to provide circulation forboth. Thus, taking suction from line piunp 40 circulates the warm enginewater through line 23, exchanger 22 and finally through line 24 back tothe engine inlet |2. If desired, line Il may be connected with cooler |4through the valved line 51 so that the pump takes warm water from boththe engine and oil cooler. That portion of the cooled recirculated waternot returned directly to the engine, passes to the oil cooler throughthe valve line 58.

Fig. 4 illustrates a variational form of the invention in accordancewith which the variable speed transmission is adapted to be positionedwithin the air chamber l1 adjacent the fan gear box, instead of beinglocated remotely therefrom, as in Fig. 1. Here the shaft I62 driven atconstant speed from the remotely positioned engine,-'

directly into the gear box 64 through which the fan shaft 44 is driven.

In some instances it may be desirable to drive a plurality of fans atvariable speeds from a single constant speed power source. For suchpurposes I may employ the arrangement generally indicated in Fig. 5 andaccording to which the constant speed engine driven shaft 65 runsthrough a first transmission 66 into a second transmission 61 which isessentially the same as the transmissions 33 and B8 of Figs. 3 and 4.Each of the pump shafts 10 to i3 is driven at constant speed from theengine output shaft 65. Transmission 65 contains a shaft Hi carryinggears and 76 which may be clutched selectively with gears H and 18 onshaft 65, so-that a first fan shaft 19 may be driven at variable speedsfrom shaft 14 by way of gears 80. A second fan shaft 8| is driventhrough transmission 6'! and at variable speeds from a shaft 82corresponding to shaft 63 in Fig. 4, and through the gear box 83.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising an engine normally operating atsubstantially constant speed, a heat exchanger, a fan operable todisplace air against said exchanger, an adjustable transmission throughwhich said fan is driven by the engine power at variable speeds, a fiuidcirculating pump, and means comprising a power transmitting connectiondirectly between said transmission and pump for driving said pump by theengine power at constant speed independently of variations of the fanspeed.

2. The combination comprising an engine normally operating atsubstantially constant speed, a heat exchanger, a fan operable todisplace air against said exchanger, an adjustable transmission throughwhich said fan is driven by the engine power at variable speeds, anengine liquid cooling system comprising means for conducting heatedengine liquid through said exchanger, a pump operating to circulate saidfluid through said exchanger, and means comprising a power transmittingconnection directly between said transmission and pump for driving saidpump by the engine power at constant speed independently of variationsof the fan speed.

3. The combination comprising an engine having a power output shaftnormally driven at substantially constant speed, a heat exchanger, a fanoperable to displace air against said exchanger, an adjustabletransmission through which said fan is driven by said shaft at variablespeeds, a pair of pumps for continuously circulating separate heatedengine oil and water streams through the exchanger, and means comprisinga power transmitting connection directly between said transmission andpump for driving said pumps by said shaft at constant speedindependently of variations of the fan speed.

4. The combination comprising an engine having a power output firstshaft normally driven at substantially constant speed, a heat exchanger,a fan operable to displace air against said exchanger, an adjustabletransmission having a constant speed second shaft driven by said engineshaft and a third shaft driven by said second shaft and operating todrive said fan at variable speeds, variable speed gears interconnectingsaid second and third shafts, means for continuously transferring engineheat to a stream of water, a water circulating pump, means forcirculating said water continuously through the exchanger, and means fordriving said pump by said second shaft at constant speed regardless ofthe fan speed.

5. The combination comprising a slow-speed engine-compressor having apower output first shaft normally driven at substantially constantspeed, a heat exchanger containing a plurality of tubes, a fan operableto displace air against said tubes, anadjustable transmission comprisinga constant speed second shaft driven by said first shaft and a variablespeed third shaft driven by said second shaft and by which said fan isdriven at variable relatively high speeds, variable speed transmittingmeans interconnecting said second and third shafts, a pair of liquidcirculating pumps, means for driving said pumps by said second shaft ata constant relatively high speed independently of the speed of said fan,and conduit means interconnecting said pumps, engine-compressor, andheat exchanger to provide circulationof liquid through saidenginecompressor and exchanger.

6. The combination comprising a slow-speed engine-compressor having apower output first shaft normally driven at substantially constantspeed, a heat-exchanger container comprising two sets of tubes, a fanoperable to displace air against said tubes, an adjustable transmissioncomprising a constant speed second shaft driven by said first shaft anda variable speed third shaft driven by said second shaft and by whichsaid fan is driven at variable relatively high speeds, variable speedtransmitting means interconnecting said second and third shafts, a pairof water and oilcirculating pumps operating to continuously circulateseparate streams of water and oil through said sets of exchanger tubes,and means for driving said pumps by said second shaft at constantrelatively high speed in dependently of the speed of said fan.

"I. The combination comprising a slow-speed engine-compressor having apower output first shaft normally driven at substantially constantspeed, a liquid circulating pump, a heat exchanger containing aplurality of tubes, a fan operable to displace air against said tubes,an adjustable transmission operated by said shaft through suit-' ableconnecting means and comprising a constant low-speed second shaft and avariable speed power take-off third shaft, means for connecting said fanWith said variable speed third shaft and providing for operation of saidfan at relatively high speeds, a pump operating to circulate fluidthrough said exchangers, means for operably connecting said pumps withsaid second shaft. conduit means interconnecting said engine compressor,pumps, and heat exchanger to provide for circulation of saidfiuidthrough said enginecompressor and heat exchanger, a secondtransmission including a variable speed power takeoff shaft, and meansfor driving said second transmission by said constant low-speed secondshaft of said first transmission.

GEORGE H. DIETER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,519,812 Schneider Dec. 26, 19241,727,950 Vaughn Sept. 10, 1929 1,820,091 Reavis Aug. 25, 1931 2,454,182Kampa Nov. 16, 1948

